Forage Quality

Forage quality is a measure of the nutritive value available from pasture or hay.
The forage quality needed is based on the nutritive requirement of the livestock
consuming the forage. Forage low in nutritive value will not meet the needs of
livestock having a high nutritional requirement and, if fed to that animal, the
animal will not perform as expected and may become unhealthy. Forage high in nutritive
value when fed to an animal having a low nutritional requirement will make the
animal gain more than needed and will be wasted compared to feeding it to animals
having a high nutritional requirement.

Knowing the animal’s nutritional requirement enables us to know if the forage on
hand will meet that requirement and what type and how much supplement is needed
to meet the animal’s nutritional needs. The section on animal nutrition provides
fact sheets on the nutritional needs of livestock.

Forage testing enables us to know the quality of forage being produced or purchased.
The following fact sheets provide the information needed to identify the nutritional
quality of forage.